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Stanford Professor Gets Rape Threat Disguised as Invitation

A Stanford law professor received a written rape threat and an unknown white substance in an envelope disguised as a party invitation Wednesday afternoon, prompting authorities to evacuate and shut down several rooms at the university's Neukom Building. Sergio Quintana reports. (Published Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018)

A Stanford law professor received a written rape threat and an unknown white substance in an envelope disguised as a party invitation Wednesday afternoon, prompting authorities to evacuate and shut down several rooms at the university's Neukom Building.

The professor targeted in the threat, Michele Dauber, is leading the charge to recall Judge Aaron Persky, who presided over the Brock Turner sexual assault case.

"The recall campaign is not going to be intimidated," Dauber said in an interview with NBC Bay Area. "We are going to continue to stand with survivors, even when we face these kinds of threats."

Dauber, who has received threatening letters and e-mails in the past, said Wednesday's threat was disguised as a party invitation. The white powder was ultimately deemed harmless.

Dauber also provided the following statement:

"Judge Persky's campaign continues to use hate-filled language and continues to actively defend Brock Turner and attack Emily Doe and me personally. The verbal attacks have continued to escalate.

Today is not the first time I have a received a rape threat focused around my effort to defend sexual assault survivors and recall Judge Aaron Persky. It is the first time I received a rape threat accompanied with an unknown white powder that is intended to harm or scare me.

We can not stand for these type of actions that occurred today or allow people to blame the survivors of sexual assault. We are not going to back down. On June 5, voters will vote to recall Judge Persky and say 'enough is enough."

Members of the Stanford community during the response were asked to stay clear of the area.

Stanford is deferring to the victim nicknamed "Emily Doe," who removed herself from the project after the school rejected two quotes from her statement made during the sentencing of former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner in 2016.

Dauber, a Stanford law professor and a family friend of the victim, originally suggested the plaque. She said in a statement that the university's "poor handling of the situation" hurried the plaque that was intended to have a deeper meaning of acknowledging the sexual assault.

"Emily Doe's impact statement inspired millions around the world," Dauber said. "It would have been a real benefit to the Stanford community to have a quote from this important piece of writing selected by the author for that location."

Turner's sentencing made national headlines after Persky sentenced Turner to six months in jail after prosecutors recommended Turner receive a six-year sentence. Turner was released from county jail after serving three months.

Turner appealed the sentencing last December, claiming the initial trial was "a detailed and lengthy set of lies" and asked for a new trial. Turner's team is also looking to overturn the convictions against him, which mandate he register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Turner was convicted in March 2016 of three felony counts of sexual assault. A Standford student testified that on the night of the attack in January 2015 he found Turner behind a dumpster lying on top of the partially clothed victim, who police later determined was unconscious.

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Turner, who was a decorated swimmer at Stanford at the time, pleaded not guilty.